Soviet communism was a failure. In particular, it failed by the most basic of measures. You wouldn't want to live there. By the time it ended just about everyone was fed up of it and it has subsequently had few mourners. Certainly nobody is likely to get very far trying to bring it back. But I think that even though it basically didn't achieve what it set out to do - which was improve the standard of living of the average worker - the story of the USSR isn't quite as bleak as most people think of it. Continue reading at the new home of the blog http://historybooksreview.co.uk/lessons-of-greece/